BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE
Let’s all try to spend today and the rest of our lives more wisely. With rising inflation, we are all having to spend our hard-earned paychecks with care. Life is the same. We have less life today than yesterday. We don’t have as much life to spend today. We are all clueless how much life we actually have left to spend. Even if we have a lot of life left there is no guarantee of the quality of our remaining lives.
Being able to walk, talk, breathe, see, hear and mentally function are all incredible gifts. Try to take care of what you have and even then, life changes beyond our control. We are all susceptible to injuries or diseases that can diminish the quality and end our lives.
Spend time with the people you care about. At least call them on the phone and visit as often as you can. We can all think of people who have departed this life who we miss. The only time you have people for sure is today.
Consider what you really need to make you happy. How much stuff does it take? We spend life accumulating and storing up. Eventually we have to figure out what to do with all our stuff. Do we give it away or leave it for someone else to worry about? Leaving our junk for others to throw away or put in a yard sale may not be a very nice way to treat family or loved ones. Friends of mine from Ohio are now about 82 and recently sold their nice large house and moved into a smaller place. They’ve spent the last year unloading a lifetime of accumulated things. It’s not easy to do but what are you going to do with all that stuff you aren’t even using now?
What are the simple things of life that you enjoy? There are aspects of life that we have to do and some that we enjoy doing. If we can squeeze in some of the enjoyable then life is a lot more fun. Often what we enjoy in life is not the exotic or chaotic but often simple routines we do all the time.
Continue to invest in yourself. Take a class, learn a new hobby, and make a new friend. We need the old friends and a few new friends. Old friends often keep us grounded while new friends bring new thoughts and ideas.
Continue to cultivate your faith and the spiritual side of your life. Your life is more than flesh and blood. Being at peace with God and yourself can only make your life feel more meaningful and level.
Life is flying by. Find time to drink a glass of lemonade and sit on the porch. Be sure to savor that morning cup of coffee. Take a walk or ride by your favorite lake or stream. Have a scoop of ice cream. You may or may not have less money but we all have one less day. Make today a good one!
Dr. Glenn Mollette is a graduate of numerous schools, including Georgetown College, Southern and Lexington Seminaries in Kentucky. He is the author of 13 books, including “Uncommon Sense,” “Grandpa’s Store,” “Minister’s Guidebook Insights from a Fellow Minister.” His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. Listen every weekday at 8:56 a.m. on XM radio 131, visit him online at glennmollette.com. “Grandpa’s Store” is a fun and adventure-filled story from the perspective of a child and young teen in the late 50s and early 70s, an era of simpler American small community life. Available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.